Cigar Sponsorship of the Orange Bowl Stopped

The planned partnership between the Orange Bowl and Canacho Cigars for three-years has been cancelled. This major reversal represents a big victory for public health advocates who believed that a tobacco company sponsoring a NCAA event would have sent a bad message to youth. Senators *** Durbin, Frank Lautenberg and Richard Blumenthal, as well as the AHA and other public health groups, sent letters to the Orange Bowl and the NCAA asking them to cancel their sponsorship.

Before the reversal, the Orange Bowl had planned on providing on-site cigar lounges and other events around the cigar company. In addition, the Company also had a sponsorship deal for the 2013 National Championship game.